County board fears new law will make it harder to staff law enforcement agenices

The Nuckolls County Board of Commissioners met Monday at the county courthouse in Nelson.

The board signed a contract with Contech Engineered Solutions for culverts for a bridge replacement project near Ruskin.

The board approved individual office budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. They approved the 2021 inventories of county department assets.

John Hodge presented the board with an overview of LB 51, a bill passed by the Unicameral on a 41-1 vote.The bill imposes new requirements and standards on the hiring of law enforcement officers in Nebraska.

New hires must undergo 80 hours of training in addition to completing the prerequisites for the law enforcement academy. They are also required to undergo de-escalation training. They are not allowed to work unsupervised until they have successfully completed the law enforcement academy course. They must also undergo a psychological evaluation if they have not previously worked in law enforcement and undergo a background check. Law enforcement officers certified in other states must complete reciprocity training before they are allowed to work in Nebraska. The law enforcement academy offers classes three times a year while reciprocity training is offered once a year. It is thought the bill will be a hardship for small public safety agencies which had previously been allowed to utilize a newly hired officer as long as they completed the academy within a year of their hiring.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Steve Lathrop, District 12, Lincoln, and was passed May 20. The bill increases the required continuing education from 20 to 28 hours in 2022 and 32 in 2023.

An applicant seeking certification as a law enforcement officer will be required to testify, under oath, that their certification has not been revoked or suspended in another jurisdiction and they have not been separated from employment or disciplined for serious misconduct or a violation of their oath of office, code of ethics or statutory duties.

The bill authorized the use of noncertified conditional officers pending their acceptance into a formal law enforcement program. They will discharge their duties under the direct supervision of a field officer and are restricted from carrying a firearm.

A noncertified conditional officer, may, only with direct supervision and guidance from a training officer, ride in a police cruiser, make arrests, interview suspects, victims or witnesses or carry out other law enforcement functions. A 16-week restriction is placed on noncertified conditional officers.

The Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (NCLEACJ) will prioritize smaller agencies when grants are awarded to offset the costs of training and accreditation.

The law requires the NCLEACJ to post information on its public web site regarding law enforcement officers who have voluntarily surrendered their certification or had it revoked. Also if they have been convicted of, pled guilty to or no contest to a felony or Class 1 misdemeanor or found to have engaged in serious misconduct.

Choke holds are prohibited from being intentionally used on a person except when deadly force is authorized. The law also prohibits the use of a cartoid restraint hold on any person unless the officer believes the individual would cause death or bodily injury to another. The officer must be trained in the restraint technique.

The board will meet at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, Sept 7 because of the Labor Day Holiday. The board will hold a budget valuation overview meeting at 8:30 a.m. and a budget levy overview meeting at 11 a.m. The public is invited to attend and offer input.